Don't Leave
by ahsahsahs
Summary: To think, defeating the Wicked Witch of the West, you'd be able to have at least a day of rest, but apparently, relaxing wasn't in the cards for Emma Swan. The only thing missing to complete her horribly tiring was the one-handed pirate who had been oddly avoiding her today. Unfortunately, Emma didn't expect what she was getting when Hook did show up. CS, set after defeating the WW
1. Chapter 1

It had been a long day – much too long. To think, defeating the Wicked Witch of the West, you'd be able to have at least a day of rest, but apparently, relaxing wasn't in the cards for Emma Swan.

On top of answering all of the residents of Storybrooke's questions on what was going to happen, she had to deal with sorting out Henry's memories and not to mention the birth of her baby sister. The only thing missing to complete her horribly tiring was the one-handed pirate who had been oddly avoiding her today. And right on cue; just as she collapsed onto her bed, there was a knock on the door.

Emma grumbled before finally getting up and heading towards the door, only to find the infamous blue-eyed Captain Hook leaning on the doorframe once she opened it.

She sighed, turning away and walking towards the kitchen counter, but leaving the door open. He took this as an invitation and followed behind her.

"What do you want now, Hook?" she sighed while pouring herself a glass of whiskey. She sat down on the stool, facing him. She was much too tired to deal with his innuendo bullshit. "Come for another round of How-Long-Would-It-Take-To-Piss-Emma-Off?"

"On the contrary, lov- Swan," he caught himself. "You could say that I'm waving the white flag," he continued.

Instead of asking for an explanation, Emma simply just raised an eyebrow in question.

"Ah, well I thought it was time I did some adventuring on my own. I don't fit in here," he waved, gesturing to the area surrounding him.

Emma tried to look unaffected by this. She took another sip of her whiskey only to find the glass empty. As if to buy time, she poured another glass of it, before bringing the crystal to her lips again.

"So, where you off to?" she questioned with a flat tone.

"Wherever the wind takes me, lass. I've got to find my home." He gave her a smile. Not the usual smirk, or the smile that made his eyes light up even more, if possible. This smile had something sad hiding behind it.

"Back to being a pirate, huh?" she smirked, trying to lighten the conversation.

His eyes didn't even meet hers this time. He just looked to the ground and gave a short laugh. "You could say that."

They stayed in those positions for awhile – Emma, on the stool, with an elbow resting on the kitchen counter and a glass of whiskey in her hand, while he simply stood there, looking at his feet. She didn't know how to react to this. She was never prepared for a situation like this to come up, especially not with Hook being the one to be in it. She always thought he would stay. But maybe, he was tired of climbing and falling off of her walls.

He cleared his throat, pulling her away from her thoughts. "I, uh – You must be wondering why I came here." _Oh, here goes, _she thought. He was going to tell her that he loved her, begging her to ask him to stay. Instead, he busied himself with finding something in his black leather coat, pulling out a small pouch. "I have a farewell present for you, Swan," he said as he handed her the pouch. She peered inside of it and saw a single magic bean sitting at the bottom of it.

"How did you get one of these?"

"Well you see, lass. In my journey to finding a way to you in the god-forsaken city of New York," he shuddered at the thought of it, making Emma's lips curve upwards slightly, "I stumbled across a giant. I explained my situation to him and how it was a life or death situation for me to get to you, and he ever so kindly gifted me with 3 magic beans." He sat down on the stool in front of hers, taking his flask from his belt before pulling the cork off with his teeth. He raised his flask and clinked it with her whiskey.

"Three?" she asked.

"Ah, yes. I used one to get to you, while the other is currently in your possession. And, the last one, I'll be using to…" he paused, trying but failing to think of the right word to use, "leave."

"Right…" Now she was the one who couldn't look him in the eyes. He was really leaving, like _really._ And she didn't know what to feel about the matter. She was hurt that he was leaving, but she gave him absolutely no reason to stay. Every advance he made, she would push him back.

"Emma…" he started. "I'm unsure if this is good news or bad news to you, but," he paused, "I can promise you that this is not goodbye." He stood up, and Emma's eyes followed him. He leaned into her and planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

He trudged towards the door, as if he was waiting for Emma to call him back – but she didn't. Before closing the door shut behind him, he turned around to look at her one last time. "Just so you know, what I said back in Neverland… remains unchanged." With that, he shut the door, leaving Emma alone with her thoughts and whiskey.

He was gone.

* * *

_Two Days Later_

"Emma?" she heard her name being called. "Emma, are you alright?"

She was thinking of him again. How he had left her. Just like Neal had all those years ago. Hearing Mary Margaret call her name snapped her back into reality. "What? Oh, yeah, I'm good."

"Is this about_ Hook_?" she whispered his name as if it were tabooed.

"Why would it?" Emma snapped, standing up from the dinner table. "Why must everything be about goddamn Captain Hook?"

"Emma…" David started. "Come on, sit down, we were having a nice dinner."

Mary Margaret on the other hand wasn't going to let it go. "I know you're hurting, honey. It hurts when you lose someone you care about, but that's life."

"Yeah, well it hurts even more when you find out that person doesn't care about you in return," she snapped. She had had enough. No one understood her.

"Emma, don't say that…"

"No, Mom. You know I'm right. I should've listened to the whole town. I trusted him, but he's just the same old pirate he used to be."

"Enough!" David stood up, his chair screeching as the friction between the legs of the chair and the wooden floor collided. "You and I both know that's not true."

"You – you're defending him? Seriously?" Blood was boiling in her. She couldn't believe her own father would be on the side of the man who left her high and dry.

"Yes, I am! Do you not remember what he went through? He went back to Neverland – the place he hates the most, he fought his sworn enemy, only to watch you drive off into a better life!" He was yelling now. Emilie's cries filled up their new house, and Mary Margaret went to take care of their baby. "He then _crossed realms _for you – selling his ship to the one person he hates more than Gold _and _Pan put together! He faced his father _for you_, and not forgetting the fact that he sacrificed his heart to the Wicked Witch! It was all for you, Emma. Even him leaving was for you! In his rum-filled mind, he thinks that you need time alone with Neal to sort it all out. He wanted it to be fair. Everything he does _is for you,_" he pronounciated the last words slowly and clearly. Her mind was processing everything her father had yelled at her. "And you still dare think of him as the same pirate that came here with Cora," he sighed, sounding disappointed, as he slumped back into his chair.

"He – he what?" Emma stuttered. "He sold the Jolly Roger to save _me_? What're you talking about? _His father?_" She followed her father and slowly sat back in her chair.

"I wasn't supposed to tell you. But since it's out there, he sold it to his father, in return for the memory potion he was supposed to give to Henry."

"His father?" she asked again. "Shouldn't he be dead by now?

David gave a short laugh. "Didn't you know Blackbeard is immortal?"

"What? _Blackbeard is Hook's dad?_"

David simply nodded. "Look, Emma, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I just wanted you to understand that Hook's not a bad person."

"No, I get it. I'm sorry." Emma stood up slowly and David followed suit. "I'm going to go for a walk – to clear my head, you know."

"Yeah, of course." David walked towards the door and opened it for her. "Emma, in case you're too stubborn to see, he loves you," he said as he pulled her into an embrace.

Tears started filling her eyes as she nuzzled her face into her father's chest, letting a muffled, "I know," come out.

* * *

_Somewhere In The West Indies_

"This ship is a marvel, Cap'n Hook! Where did you find it?"

"You know, I think it's time for me to go back to Captain Jones, Johnny," Hook smiled at his new member of the nonexistent crew. The boy was standing by the deck, appreciating the fine lacquer of the ship. "Also, to answer your question, I've been a pirate for over 300 years – I have a few tricks up my sleeve."

"The CSS Alabama is a beauty. I can only imagine how the Jolly Roger looks like!" Hook had found young Johnny near the port. He had the same look in his eyes when Hook had asked him to join him on his journey that young Killian Jones had when his brother had enlisted him into the Navy. Johnny was young, lean and fit - his physique was perfect for the trip. Hook needed someone who was energetic and lively since it was just going to be the two of them on the ship.

"You remind me a lot of your father, Johnny. He was a good man – one of the best of my crew." Hook smiled fondly at the thought of his old crewmen.

"I barely remember him… He left when I was young," he smiled sadly.

"I apologise for that. I needed Ward aboard my ship, without him, god knows where I'd be. But trust me when I say, he didn't want to leave you."

"And I believe you, Captain."

"He would've been a good father to you, and those are hard to find," he paused, turning the helm ever so slightly. "Mine, on the other hand, left my brother and I aboard a ship when I was only a child – he… he was not a good man. I don't think I'll ever forgive him for that."

"I'm sorry, Captain. But if you don't mind me asking, why are we searching for him?" he asked, while opening the telescope to look into the horizon.

"He is in possession of something I hold dearly to my heart."

"Well then, you're in luck. If I'm not mistaken, that is the Queen Anne's Revenge coming towards us from the East," Johnny informed him.

"Oh, how I've missed our family reunions, father," Hook said to himself, with a smirk planted on his face.

* * *

**A/N: Hopefully people like this enough for me to be motivated to continue! I just really wanted to have someone defend Hook for once and also a sentimental Hook remembering his old crew members. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

This was too much to process. She had spent the past two days filled up with so much anger and hurt aimed at him, and now it all faded away in a matter of minutes. Had he really sold his home for her? Had he really faced his own father for her – something Neal would _never_ have done? Had he left her, _for _her? She didn't understand – weren't pirates supposed to be selfish, taking what they wanted, when they wanted? But then again, who she was dealing with was not a pirate, it was Killian Jones – the man who was abandoned at sea by his own father, the man who watched his brother die in his arms.

She walked down the street, consciously forgetting that she drove the Bug to her parents' house. She needed time to think, and walking was the only way to do it. Without even realizing it, her feet had lead her all the way to the docks, where the Jolly Roger _should _be.

How blind could she have been? After all these months, she hadn't once realised that the pirate ship was not anchored by the docks. She never once asked him where his ship was and that made her want to rip her hair out. He sold his home. _He sold his home._

_'I've got to find my home'_

His words were ringing in her ears. He was looking for the Jolly Roger. David had said that he left because Ho- Killian wanted to give Neal a fair shot with Emma, so maybe him finding the Jolly Roger was to fill up his time.

She found a bench and sat on it, staring out into the vast ocean knowing that he was somewhere out there.

She sat there like that for a few minutes before she felt the presence of someone else sitting beside her. She didn't bother to look who it was. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore.

"Hey…" It was Neal. "Ems, are you okay?"

"Yep," she popped the 'p'. "Just fine."

"Look… I should've known from the start that I don't deserve a second chance with you. But that doesn't matter to me." Emma turned to face him, showing him that she was listening and he could continue. "I only want your happiness. Hook," _Killian_, she corrected him in her mind, "he makes you happy – much happier than I'd like to admit. You smile more around him, and I know _you _don't want to admit that." She looked away, trying to hide the upturning of her lips. "So, I'm letting you go. You deserve someone all the happiness in the world – even if the person supplying it is a one-handed pirate."

"Is it just me, or is everyone besides me being totally selfless?" Emma laughed before resting her shoulder against his.

"It's just you," he replied, putting an arm around her.

After a moment of silence, Emma spoke.

"Hey, um… not that I don't appreciate you or anything, but do you mind letting me be alone out here for awhile?" She turned to face him. He could see her olive eyes all glossy and shiny. Immediately, he understood, nodding and releasing her from his arms.

"Of course, Emma." He rose slowly. Before he left, he squeezed her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile.

Emma sat there for a while. She pictured what her life would look like if Hook were here with her knowing all that he had done for her. She pictured them together with Henry as a happy little family. _She pictured herself being happy. _She could've had life if she had paid a little bit more attention to him, but she had her head stuck too far up her ass to notice anything. Now, he was god knows where in god knows what world looking for the home he had lived in for the past 300 years – the same home he had given up so that he could save her.

Emma glanced at her phone screen, checking the time to see if Granny's would still be open. Seeing that it was only 10, she got up and started walking slowly towards the diner. After five minutes of walking at a steady pace, she reached the diner to find a single light turned on, indicating that it would soon be closed. Ignoring this, she pushed the door open and sat on the bar stool.

Ruby seemed startled at the arrival of a customer, but she softened once she saw it was Emma.

"What can I do for you on this lovely night?" she smiled, before continuing drying the glasses with a washcloth.

"I know you're closing up, but I really need a drink," she sighed, lying on the bar counter.

"What's your poison?"

"Rum," she answered, not hesitating at all.

"Ho- all our rum's finished," she caught herself, "but lucky for you, I keep an extra for a rainy day." She found the bottle in the back of the cupboard and settled it onto the table. She placed two glasses on the counter, before pouring the brown liquid into them.

Emma gulped down the entire glass, making Ruby raise an eyebrow. She sat her own glass down and slid it over to Emma.

"You need it more than I do," she smiled sadly. "Is this about _Hook_?" she said his name the same way Mary Margaret had earlier that night – as though she would break at the sound of his name.

She took the drink and swallowed every drop of the rum again, ignoring the burning sensation that went down her throat. "I miss him," she stated simply. "He's been gone two days and I miss him _so damn much._ I want to hate him for leaving, but I can't – especially not after I found out." She expected Ruby to ask, but she never did, and Emma was grateful for it. Ruby understood that what Emma needed right now was someone who'd listen, not someone who would smother her with questions.

Emma closed her eyes, and for those brief seconds, she saw images of Killian. Pictures of his smile, his stupid smirk and the amazingly attractive thing he did with his eyebrows. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Oh, honey," Ruby sighed before wiping the tear off her cheek.

"I don't think I could forgive myself if anything happened to him if- if," she stuttered. She didn't want to think of it. "Oh god, what if he doesn't make it back? It'll be my fault!" Now, she was crying.

"He'll come back, Emma. He always will," Ruby tried to reassure her, squeezing her arm.

"I couldn't live with myself if he…" She didn't want to say the words aloud. "…died without knowing that I- that I…"

"That you what, Emma?" Ruby wasn't trying to push her, but she needed Emma to understand her feelings for him.

She couldn't say it. She wasn't ready for it. It was too scary to even think of – except that it wasn't.

"Without knowing that I love him too."

* * *

Hook stepped aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, head held high and flask in his hand. Taking a swig from his flask, flashbacks of Emma and him in the cabin sharing drinks appeared across his mind. He immediately tried to wipe the smile off his face – he didn't need Blackbeard discovering his weakness. He strode towards the main deck, coming face to face with the man he hated more than anything.

"I've seen you much too many times this century, boy," Blackbeard spat.

"Aye, finally, something we can agree on," Hook replied calmly. "Let's be sure to make our meetings less frequent."

"You say that, but you're the one who seeks me out." The two men stood at the same height, neither one of them looking down at the other – physically speaking. "What do you want, boy?"

"I am no longer the same boy you left a ship years ago, _father_," he spat the last word. "But yes, I do want something – my ship."

The man looked as though he was about to argue, but Hook silenced him.

"No. _Listen. _I know who I'm dealing with – the infamous Blackbeard who doesn't make deals unless he gets something out of it." Blackbeard simply nodded. "We duel," Hook stated simply. "We duel, and if I win, I get the Roger back _but_, you can have the Alabama," he gestured towards the ship he had come from.

"And when I win?" he asked cockily.

"_If_ you win, you get to keep the Roger," the eye contact between father and son never wavered, "and," he continued, "I'll hand over the Alabama to you."

Blackbeard was surprised. "You seem awfully confident of yourself, boy."

"One condition, though," Hook began. "It has to be a fair fight. We fight, only the two of us – no backups. Also, no surrendering. We fight to the _death_, father. It's time to end this feud."

"Name the time and place."

"Here and now."

* * *

**A/N: Sooooo, I kind of need ideas with what's going to happen with Emma's story. I have Hook's planned out, but I haven't got a clue what to do with Emma. Suggestions?**

**Thank you for reading! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Metal clashed with metal and the piercing sound of blades colliding filled the tense atmosphere around them. None of the crew members of either captain muttered a word, simply gasping when either one of the two duelists came close to being hit.

Both men were surprised at the amount of force the other's attack carried. Their swords slid against each other's, inches from touching skin. Hook watched his opponent's every move; looking out for weak spots he could exploit somewhere in the battle, but so far, nothing.

They sparred for a few moments, blocking each other's attack. The closest they came to harming each other was when Hook got a nick of his father's jacket, even then, it didn't reach his skin.

Finally, he saw an opening, charging towards his father with a strong amount of his strength in his swing, only to be met with the familiar sound of metal clashing. The force was so strong that it made both the men stumble backwards, leaving a safe distance between the two of them.

"Who are you protecting, boy?" Blackbeard sneered, covering up his pants of fatigue.

"What are you talking about?" Hook spat, eyes never leaving his father's.

"I've only seen you fight this hard once, when you were protecting a woman you love – your mother," Blackbeard said plainly. They continued circling each other with swords raised as the conversation carried on. "So, boy, who is she?"

Hook didn't answer. He couldn't let him know about his weakness.

"More importantly, where is she?" Blackbeard mocked - he knew he was getting somewhere with this.

No reply.

"_Oh_. She's with another man, _isn't she_? What? She broke this old pirate's black heart?" Hook's lip twitched. Images of Emma with Neal flashed before his eyes. Technically, he hadn't the right to be jealous. That was _exactly _why he left. To give Neal a shot with Emma. Henry deserved to have his parents be together. _No. Don't think about it. _A part of his brain told him.

"Enough talking. Fight me already!" Hook retorted.

"Ah, I struck a nerve, I see," he smirked. "She probably doesn't love you, boy. Love and piracy do not mix."

"Maybe for you."

Something in Hook snapped. He lunged forward, attacking his father in the same motion, but Blackbeard had been prepared for his attack, countering the swing with his already ready sword easily. Blackbeard saw and opening and managed to draw blood from Hook's thigh. Stumbling back, Hook winced in pain. Now, he was at a disadvantage. He was limping, making him much slower on his feet than his father was. Hook could just feel the grin growing on the man's face. Using this, he pounced, – completely ignoring the shooting pain from his leg – his sword meeting Blackbeard's forearm, making his sword drop to the floor of the deck.

Blackbeard clutched the wound with his other hand. Hook then kicked his knee, making the other man fall to his knees. Now, Hook had his sword to his father's throat. One swift movement, and everything would end. Emma would be safe from this bastard. All he had to do was pull his arm up a little bit, and his father would be dead. It would all be over.

But, he couldn't do it.

He dropped his sword from the man's throat before kicking him one last time – making him fall to the ground.

Hook turned and began walking away from the battle area when Blackbeard spoke.

"I knew you couldn't do it. You don't have the guts."

Hook ignored it and continued walking.

"But I, unlike you, boy_,_ do," he heard from over his shoulder, followed by the yell of "Captain, watch out!" in the distance.

Unfortunately, Hook didn't respond to the warning quick enough, and before he knew it, he felt a sharp piercing pain through his side. He clutched the wound, trying but failing to stop the bleeding. He fell to his knees and was now at Blackbeard's mercy.

At that exact moment, from worlds away, in the quaint little town of Storybrooke, Emma Swan woke up from her nightmare abruptly.

* * *

**A/N: Short chapter, but I'll be sure to update soon! :) **


	4. Chapter 4

"I have to go!"

"No, you don't even know where he is!"

"He's hurt! I felt it!"

"It was just a dream, Emma!"

"_No! _You don't get it! I thought you'd get it! He gave _me_ the magic bean for a reason!"

It had been five days since he left, three days since she found out. She had taken a short nap being physically and mentally exhausted at the thought of Killian being worlds away from her.

She dreamed of him. It started off normally, as though he hadn't left at all. One second, they were having a drink at her loft, talking like two old friends – him blatantly attacking her with numerous sexual innuendos – and the next she was transported onto the deck of a ship watching her pirate being stabbed by the gut by a man she could only guess was Blackbeard.

Emma turned away, but before she could leave, Snow grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back into the conversation.

"Listen, Emma!" she hissed, making Emma face her, exposing her tear filled eyes to her mother. Seeing this, Snow softened her approach. "Emma… I _do_ understand. But you can't leave." Emma gave her a pleading look as if to ask why. "You have to trust that Hook will be okay, and that he _will_ come back to you. He loves you, Emma – he'll always find you."

"I saw him being stabbed, Mom," she cried. Snow pulled her daughter into an embrace, and Emma buried her face in the crook of her mother's neck. "What if he's hurt? He's out there alone and no one's there to help him. I'm just here in Storybrooke being helpless. I'm supposed to be the _savior_, and I can't even help the man I love!" she wasn't scared of saying it anymore. She finally could admit to her feelings. This shocked Snow. She knew her daughter well enough to know that Emma doesn't throw the word around lightly.

"He'll come back, honey," she reassured her softly, cradling the back of her daughter's head.

The mother and daughter stayed in the warm embrace until Emma heard the front door being thudded loudly.

Unsure of what could be waiting on the other side of the door, Emma pulled out her handgun as she approached the door.

Once she opened the door, she was met with a heavily panting Ruby. Ruby instantly raised her hands up in surrender, making Emma drop the weapon.

"Oh, Ruby! I thought it was some-"

"We have to get to the hospital, _now_."

* * *

Ruby pulled her along as fast as she could – and it was really fast (since she was a werewolf).

"What's going on!" Emma asked confused while trying to keep up with the werewolf.

"I was going to Rabbit Hole with Victor when I smelled something odd!" She turned to look at Emma, only to find her raising an eyebrow, urging her to continue. "Right… Well, I managed to track down the smell and it was…"

"Oh, come on, Ruby! What was it?" Emma was growing impatient. She wasn't one for suspense.

"It was Hook." Emma stopped walking. A part of her was happy that he was back, but a bigger part was horrified. Ruby didn't sound joyful that Killian was back and they were rushing to the _hospital._

_"Where is he?"_

* * *

When Killian woke up, all he saw was white. Was this some sort of heaven? _No_. Captain Hook did not deserve heaven. _Killian Jones might,_ said a small voice in his head. He was confused. _Where_ was he?

"Killian?" he heard a shy voice ask.

He looked down, and only then he realised he was lying in some sort of bed. _Ah. _Now he recognized the place. It was the same place he was at when Swan had chained him down to the bed all those years ago. _Swan._

Frantically, his eyes searched for her blonde hair, only to find Henry staring down at him.

"Lad!" Killian greeted weakly. "What happened to me?"

Henry's eyes lit up. "You're awake!" he exclaimed, hugging the pirate lying in the bed. Henry squeezed him a little too tightly, forgetting about his injured side, making Hook wince in pain. Henry automatically let go, giving him an apologetic grin. "Sorry… I forgot about that. You got into a fight, and got hurt really badly," he explained, gesturing to his wound. "You were asleep for almost a day. Mom's been really worr- _Mom!_" The boy abruptly left the room, leaving Killian alone and confused as to what was happening.

A second later, Henry returned, but this time with Emma. He could see from the bed that Emma's eyes were watery. He felt a sudden pang of guilt in his chest. He never wished to be the reason she cried about. It hurt him just seeing a single tear roll down her cheek.

Henry looked between the two adults and felt like he should leave them to their reunion and left the room.

Emma stood by the door for a few seconds. He felt completely helpless that he couldn't walk up to her and hold her. He tried sitting up, but the pain eliciting from his side stung too much, so he laid back down in defeat. Seeing him flinch in pain, Emma quickly came to his side, to check if he was okay. Wordlessly, she lifted his blanket to see if there was anymore bleeding, and seeing as there was none, much to his surprise – she started hitting his chest. Of course her punches had no force put into them, but he was still startled.

Then, she started crying. After awhile, her hits slowed down and he carefully managed to catch both her hands in his, stroking the back of her hands with his thumb. He brought her hands to his lips, placing reassuring kisses on them, telling her that he was okay.

"Why did you do it? Why did you leave?" she cried weakly.

"I thought I was doing the right thing, love," he answered softly. "I never wanted to hurt you…"

She wanted to hit him. She wanted to make him hurt as much as she did. But now, she was just grateful that he was back in one piece – well, kinda one piece.

What followed next surprised him. She slid her hands away from his, only to move to the opposite side of his bed, away from his wound. He watched her move quietly, scared that anything he might say might scare her off. Silently, she lowered the barrier that made sure he wouldn't fall off the bed and slowly climbed in next to him. He immediately understood what she was trying to do and scooted in as much as he could.

She laid there next to him, head on his chest and arm across his stomach, feeling more content than she had ever felt. He, in return, placed his right hand on her back and a kiss on the top of her head.

After a moment, she spoke.

"Just so you know," she started, "I'm still really angry at you."

He laughed quietly. "I don't expect any less, love." He kissed her hair once more before the pair drifted off into a much deserved peaceful sleep.

And that was how David had found them hours later when he came to check up on them.

* * *

**A/N: For purposes of this fic, time moves differently in the Enchanted Forest/where ever Hook was.**

**Also, don't worry, I'll get to explaining how Hook managed to get back :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Instead of being woken up to the sounds of birds singing, he woke up to an empty bed and yells in his head – well, they weren't as much in his head as they were yelled _at_ his head.

"_Are you fucking kidding me, Hook!_" Emma yelled.

"Emma, love, I do not understand why you're so upset," he defended himself calmly.

"You went through all of this," she waved her hand up and down, gesturing at his wound, "for this!" She pulled out a crumpled piece of dark red cloth, waving it about so that he could see it.

_Oh shit_, he thought. He hadn't expected her to get her hands on that.

"Wh-where did you get that?" he stuttered.

"Your crew boy – whatever you want to call him – gave it to me!" She was furious. She knew that Killian was an idiot, but she didn't think he was idiotic enough to risk his life for the piece of cloth he had wrapped her wound in for what felt like years ago now.

At that moment, Johnny appeared from behind the door offering Hook an apologetic smile. In return, Hook simply glared at him. Finally, he turned his attention back to Emma.

"What can I say, Swan? I'm quite the sentimental man," he stated coolly.

"You almost _died_, Hook!" she screamed, throwing the piece of cloth at him before storming out of the hospital room. Killian had tried to reach for her but the pain from his wound was still fresh. He grabbed the cloth and flipped it over a couple times, as if hoping something would fall out.

Johnny came scurrying to the side of Hook's bed.

"Captain, I'm sorry! She forced me to give it to her! I had no choice! She's very persistent," he tried explaining.

"Yes, I understand Swan's very determined when she wants something. But all that's important is: did she see _it_?" he asked through gritted teeth as though someone might overhear the conversation.

"No, I managed to hide it before she could see it."

"Good, I'll leave it with you for safekeeping. Make sure no one sees it, _especially_ not Swan." He patted the boy on his back, and Johnny nodded in return.

* * *

Every now and then, when he closed his eyes, flashbacks of what took place on Queen Anne's Revenge played in his mind.

"You should have killed my when you had the chance, boy," Blackbeard taunted him. He was standing behind Hook, blade to his throat. There was no way out, Hook thought. He was never going to see Emma again. Blackbeard seemed to have read his mind. "Ah, thinking about that girl again, are you son? She could never love you anyway."

He wasn't going to let Blackbeard win. This wasn't the way Hook's story ended and he knew it.

Two could play at this game.

"Ah, then we share something in common, father."

"And, pray tell, what could that be?" Blackbeard moved from behind Hook to circle around him, sword still pointed to Hook's throat. He clearly wanted to show Hook who had the power here. Hook was still on his knees, with his good hand clutching his aching wound.

"Mother," he said simply. He noticed how Blackbeard flinched at the simple word. "The only woman you could ever love, never loved you. She hated you," Hook sneered. Slowly, his confidence rose, and so did he. Now, he was standing at eye level with his father once more. "She told me, you know? How she only stayed for Liam and I. At first, I couldn't understand why she'd ever say that – but now, I see it as clear as day."

"Shut your mouth, Killian," he looked around at his crewmembers as he hissed this, hoping that none of them could hear what Hook was saying.

"I thought her death was what made you a monster," now he was the one taunting, "but you were always a monster, weren't you?" He could see the something growing in his father's eyes, except, it wasn't anger. It was something entirely the opposite of anger. "You told me as a child that she was a horrible mother, but even then, she was ten times the parent you'd ever be."

"I said, shut your mouth!" he yelled this time.

"Struck a nerve, I see," Hook repeated his father's words from earlier.

With one swift movement, Hook managed all his fleeting energy to knock his opponent's sword away with his hook. Hook kneed him in the groin, and the loud thud of his knees colliding with the floorboards echoed.

"I've bested you twice now, father," he said as he picked up his own sword and copied the man's actions from before. "I could've killed you before, and I can kill you right now." Slowly, the sword inched closer and closer to Blackbeard's throat. "But Emma has made me believe that I am a better man than that." Just as the blade was about to touch skin, Hook tossed it aside. He started walking away again, this time, not worried that the man would come after him again. But something made him stop in his tracks.

"Oh, right. I forgot something."

He turned back towards his father and walked one step, two steps, three steps, to him. With all the strength he could muster, Hook's fist came crashing into Blackbeard's face, hitting him square in the jaw, knocking him out cold.

He looked at the man who laid before him one last time before turning to the ship's crewmembers. "Do what you will with him."

Only halfway to the captain's quarters did he remember his aching wound at his side. "Johnny!" he called. The boy came running to his side. "I may need your assistance." Johnny allowed Hook to place his arm over his shoulder, passing all of Hook's weight onto the boy.

Finally, they made it to the door of the captain's quarters.

"Stay here, there are some things I need to attend to." The boy nodded, lifting Hook's arm from over his shoulder and opening the door for him.

Once he got into the room, he found a chair and slumped himself against it. He detached the flask of rum from his belt and uncorked the bottle. Slowly, he pulled out the piece of cloth he had once used to wrap Emma's wound from inside one of his pockets and stuffed it in his mouth. _Deep breaths, Killian,_ he thought to himself before pouring the brown liquid onto his wound. A muffled scream escaped from him.

"Everything alright in there, Captain?" he heard from the other side of the door.

"Aye," he replied.

Steadily, he stood up, and made his way to the desk. _Where was it?_ He rummaged through the desk drawer. He pulled out the drawer as far as he could, making all the items in it push to the back in the process. _Ah, of course, a false bottom. _He pulled the bottom up and there it was.

_"I'll give you the Jolly Roger if you hand me that memory potion."_

_"We have a bargainer here, huh?" Blackbeard sneered. "You make a good deal, though," he said as his hand reached for the vial from inside his coat, but just as he was about to pull it out, he tucked it back in. "I will take the Jolly Roger to add to my collection, but… there is one more thing you hold dear to your heart and I want that too."_

_'Emma,' instantly popped out in his head. 'No, he couldn't know about her.'_

_"I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about." He kept his tone flat, Blackbeard could not find out about her._

_"Ah, but you do," he stepped a step closer. "The ring you keep in your coat pocket," he began, "hand it over."_

_The ring? Oh thank God. Handing over the ring wouldn't be the worst thing to ever happen, but he had to make sure that Blackbeard believed it was of much importance._

_"No! It took me months to find it!"_

_"No ring, no potion," Blackbeard hummed in a singsong voice._

_Reluctantly, he pulled out the ring and handed it over to his father. He smirked, before producing the purple vial and passing it to Hook._

_"Always a pleasure doing business with you, son."_

Finally, he found it. He wrapped in the piece of ragged cloth carefully and tucked it in his coat, where it belonged.

He was filled with so much glee with the fact that he had it back in his possession that he almost forgot that he was supposed to get his ship back as well. He doubled back and reached for the bottle containing a mini model of the Jolly Roger from the shelf next to the desk.

He opened the door and found Johnny standing guard just like he had asked him to.

"Everything settled, captain?"

"Aye, but I need you to hold onto something for me," he requested as he pulled out the cloth slowly. "I need you to keep this. Once we get back to Storybrooke, chances are they'll put me into one of those medical houses and someone would find it. Make sure no one sees what's inside, especially not Swan," he explained.

"Aye aye, captain." He took the fabric and stuffed it in the pocket of his pants. "So, now, back to Storybrooke?"

"Back to Storybrooke," he grinned.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry this chapter was so shitty :( I'm feeling a bit under the weather with asthma and what not, but I thought you guys might like to know what happened after Hook got stabbed. It's no excuse for a bad chapter, but sorry either way! Having a bad case of writer's block.**

**Thanks for reading, though! Review if you like, just know i really appreciate them! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

He was finally released from the hospital after three days of being cooped up in there with 5 nurses watching over him, making sure he didn't do anything stupid to tear his stitches. She had wanted to be the one to pick him up, but apparently, Storybrooke couldn't give her a break. Of course it had to be that day of all the slow working days where Jefferson (who suddenly chose to reappear) decided to start a bar fight _and_ an ex-lost boy had tried to go across the town borderline.

Since she couldn't pick him up, Ruby had offered to do it, also with the help of Johnny who was ever so eager to see his captain up and running again.

Since the incident in the hospital just the day after he was admitted, the last time she saw him was when she came in to apologize – which she doesn't do often – with a bowl of jell-o ("_Why is it red, Swan?"_). Since then, she had yet to see him.

Ruby had called her saying that Hook was out by the docks, and there was exactly where she found him. But much to her surprise, the leather-wearing 'dashing rapscallion' wasn't wearing leather. Instead, she found him in a pair of dark blue jeans and a tight-fitting long-sleeved V-neck shirt sitting by the very same bench she was sitting at less than a week ago.

Quietly, she came up next to him and sat down. Although she could tell he noticed her presence, he didn't say anything, waiting for her to speak the first words.

"Change in attire, huh?" she joked.

"Ruby," he explained. "She thought it would be fun to take me out shopping and Johnny couldn't help agree with her more – I think the boy has a crush on the she-wolf."

"I'll be sure to thank them both then." He turned and looked at her, raising his eyebrow in question. "I like it, you look good," she smiled. And damn did she mean it. He did look good - much _too_ good in fact.

"You didn't like the leather, then?"

"Well, the leather was nice, but getting a bit old, don't you think." He just smiled and turned his attention back to the sea.

It was quiet, since none of them were talking - only with the sounds of seagulls in the distance to break the silence.

Finally, he spoke.

"I'm sorry I left, Swan." His blue eyes met hers and a small part of her melted for what was hiding beneath them. He looked pained just at the thought of his leaving. She saw how sincere he was when he spoke those words. "I- I just had to get her back." A sudden jolt of jealousy flowed through Emma before the more rational part of her brain told her he was talking about the Jolly Roger.

"No, I get it. I was just worried about you – that's all. And I was right to," she said as she carefully touched his injured side. He seemed to tense against her gentle touch before relaxing into it. "Does it still hurt?"

"Barely. Just another scar to add to the collection," he smiled.

"Did you kill him?" she asked quietly, afraid of the answer.

"No." He could hear her sigh of relief. "Does that surprise you?"

"Honestly, no. I don't know much about what he did to you, but I know that he left. Captain Hook might've killed him, but I doubt Killian Jones would," she said simply. He smiled at the use of his real name. That was the first time she'd ever called him that, besides during the cover-ups with Henry.

"Aye. After my mother died, Liam went off to the Navy. So my father brought me aboard one of the ships. Turns out, he was wanted by the law. So one morning, he just left me to go on his own swashbuckling adventure." It stung that her own words from weeks ago came back to bite her right in the ass, but she deserved it, she thought to herself. "Luckily for me, the crewmembers were able to get ahold of Liam, and Liam convinced the Naval officer to take me in. I was only 12 then." He gave her a sad smile and all she could offer in return was a reassuring hand on his lap. This was the first time he ever opened up to her, and she sure as hell was going to appreciate it. She was constantly hiding behind her walls that she didn't notice that he had walls of his own. "I could've killed him – twice, actually – but…"

"But, you couldn't," she finished his sentence for him.

"Aye, I couldn't. I guess somewhere in me, there's still that little boy hoping his father would come back for him. He wasn't so bad before my mother died – when he wasn't drunk that is."

They stayed quiet for a bit – none of them uttering a single word, feeling completely comfortable with the silence between them.

Slowly, as the evening progressed, the air grew cooler.

"Hey… I'm sure it's pretty cold without your leather jacket. How about we warm up with some dinner over at Granny's?" She stood up. "It's on me?" she added afterwards.

"Usually, I wouldn't let the lady pay, but I haven't much of your world's currency," he laughed, as he stood up with her.

"Yeah, we'll have to get you a job, huh?"

"I guess so." They started walking towards the diner when he shivered due to the rush of cold wind. She stopped and so did he.

"Swan?"

She took off her black beanie as well as her scarf, wrapping the scarf around his neck and placing the beanie over his head.

"You need it more than I do," she shrugged, as though it was nothing. "That shirt is ridiculously thin," she laughed, making him smile in return. Oh god, how he could just live off of her laugh. She continued walking ahead of him, making him quicken his pace to catch up with her.

They continued walking in silence side by side, pretending that the bumps of their shoulders and hands were completely accidental.


	7. Chapter 7

"Are you ever going to tell me what happened that year I was away?" she asked as Ruby placed their food on the table.

"I would tell you if it mattered, Emma." He took a sip of his coffee. Today, he was back to wearing his old pirate garb. It had been two months since he came back and he was settling in quite nicely. She had gotten him a job at the station that gave him a steady pay allowing him to afford living at Granny's. "Fortunately for you, love, it doesn't."

"Come on, Jones. What're you not telling me?" It had to be her fifth time asking. She knew that he was probably annoyed, but she _had _to know. Everyone else had their memories back, but no one could back up his story. She placed her hand gently on his. "You can tell me. I can handle it, you know?"

He sighed. _This woman is going to be the death of me_. "When we landed in the Enchanted Forest, I realized that that wasn't the place for me. So I left." Another sigh. "I figured I was good at being a pirate, so I went off and looked for the Jolly Roger. After weeks of searching, I found her. I thought I could go back to being a pirate. And well, you know what a pirate's life entails," he gave her a nervous smirk as she drew her hand back. "But, I couldn't."

"Why not?" her eyebrows furrowed.

"You know exactly why not. Every time I tried to even touch another woman, " she tried not to flinch at his words, "Emma… you'd appear."

It wasn't like Emma didn't expect him to say something like that, but the way he said it made her heart break a little.

"I'd – what?"

"I tried. I went to bars every night, I drank myself to sleep – I tried everything to forget you." The eye contact between them wavered as he looked down into his mug of coffee. "I tried sleeping around, Emma – I'm not proud of myself," he looked back at her and she could tell he was sincere about it. "But – I couldn't. You- you kept popping up in my head. I dreamt of you every night, you know? And maybe it was selfish of me to bring you back here. But, I _needed_ you."

_Oh God_, the both of them thought in unison. He had just laid his heart out on the table, and she didn't know how to react. So doing the only thing she was good at, she hid behind her ridiculously high walls.

"I- uh, I've got to go." She stood up, digging out some money from her back pocket. "Here, this should cover it." She placed it on the table.

"Swan, please," his eyes were begging. She thought he wanted her to stay, but instead, "I insist," he took out his new wallet, and pulled out a couple of dollars. "It's on me this time," he gave her a sad smile.

He knew he couldn't push her into anything, and he promised himself that he'd be patient with her. And God was she grateful for that.

* * *

It was a usual slow working day at the station and the pair hadn't uttered a word about the earlier confession. The atmosphere is the station was tense – what with Emma trying to ignore Hook and him trying to break the ice with stupid remarks. That was until David barged in when he was supposed to be taking an off day.

"_Jones. Docks. Now._"

The pair stood up from their respective desks immediately.

"David, what's going on?" "What's this about, mate?" They said at the same time.

"I thinkyou're dad's in town."

Emma looked between Hook and David. Hook looked absolutely terrified, but she knew he wasn't scared for his own being.

"Swan, you stay here," he ordered, moving towards the door.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "There's no way in hell I'm letting you go out there alone."

"He knows too much about you, Emma. He'll use you against me." The desperation he had in his eyes absolutely killed her. But she'd be damned if he got hurt out there.

"I almost lost you the last time. _Please_," she begged.

"Fine. But let _me _handle him."

* * *

By the time the three of them reached, the Queen Anne's Revenge was getting closer and closer to the docks. The figure of Blackbeard standing on the main deck grew bigger and bigger as the ship reached the docks. Finally, upon it's arrival, Blackbeard simply turned to the gangplank and hopped off the ship and onto the wood of the docks.

As he strode towards the trio, Hook took a step forwards, putting David and Emma behind him.

"Three times in one year? Much too many times for my liking, boy," Blackbeard sneered. He continued walking until he came face-to-face with Hook. "Like I said before, boy, you should've killed me when you had the chance to," he slapped him in the face. Hook didn't even step back. He just took it in. Instead, Emma was the one who flinched.

"Let's just get this over with, huh?" Hook spat.

Blackbeard drew his sword and Hook simply took a step back. He turned around to look at Emma.

"Stand back, Swan." He turned his attention to David, telling him to keep her safe without any words. Understanding, David simply grabbed her arms and pulled her back to give the two men space. Emma hesitantly followed him.

Blackbeard took one swing on him, but Hook managed to easily avoid the blade.

"Tsk tsk. I haven't even gotten my sword out. Bad form," Hook taunted as he pulled out his blade. "We've been through this before," Hook yelled over the sounds of metal clashing when Blackbeard lunged towards him. "I've bested you twice, now. We know how this is going to pan out. You're getting a bit old, don't you think?"

Hook knew all of his moves, so blocking all the hits were easy. But what he wasn't expecting was Blackbeard pulling out another sword for his left hand. Lucky for Hook, the additional weight added by the extra sword slowed Blackbeard's movements.

Block, after block, after block, Hook started getting tired. Blackbeard saw this as an opportunity and one of his swords cut through leather, and made contact with Hook's left arm.

Emma immediately tried to lunge forward at the sound of Hook's wince, but David had managed to hold her back.

"Emma! Stay back! I can handle him," Hook yelled. At the sound of her name, Blackbeard's smirk grew wider and wider as he continued to attack Hook.

"Emma? The famous Emma that managed to get this pirate to act like a love-sick puppy?" he laughed.

Blackbeard attacked him again, both swords coming in at a steady speed. Hook managed to avoid one of them, while parrying the blow from the other. The collision was strong enough to make the sword fall to the ground.

"Oh! What? Love is strength?" he laughed. "Maybe I should take your whore for a ride, huh?"

Emma felt David's grip tighten on her, just as Hook's grip tightened on his sword.

"You stay away from her," he shouted as he lunged forward, using as much energy he had in that blow. "You lay a finger on her, or anyone else in this town, and I swear, I will kill you. And don't think I'll have mercy on you because you were once my father," he spat.

"Ah but that's where you're wrong," he retorted, blocking any of the upcoming shots easily. "I was never your father."

"Yeah, you think I don't know that? You _abandoned _me aboard a ship, for God's sake."

"_No, boy! _You're not listening!" he yelled. "I am _not_ your father."

Hook lowered his sword slightly and took two steps back. Blackbeard took this as a chance to rest his arm for a bit.

"What're you talking about? Mother – she…"

"You're mother lied, boy!"

"But Liam – Liam would've told me," he stuttered.

"Liam _is _mine. He's the only reason I stuck around for the little time that I did. But, no – he didn't know."

Hook stood there, shocked. He didn't know how to process this. His whole damn life was a life. Liam wasn't his brother – he was his half brother. And the father he hated for his whole life wasn't even his father.

"Hook- Killian!" he heard someone yell. It was Emma. "Don't listen to him – he's trying to get under your skin!" Emma very well knew that Blackbeard wasn't lying. She could tell. But she couldn't let this overthrow Hook.

"Then…" Hook continued, ignoring Emma's pleas. "Who _is _my father?"

"Use your brain, boy! Where do you think your mother got the name 'Jones' from!"

"No – _no. Davey Jones_?" Hook whispered softly, but loud enough to be heard. "She said it was her maiden name!"

"Well, she lied, didn't she?" his smirk grew wider and wider.

"_You're_ lying!" he cried as he lunged forward.

Lucky for Blackbeard, his sword was at the ready. Hook swung his blade towards him, causing Blackbeard to duck. Blackbeard countered the attack by trying to sweep Hook from underneath, but Hook easily jumped over the sword, avoiding it.

Hook pounced again, making Blackbeard dodge the strike leaving a part of his abdomen unguarded. Hook moved so quickly that Blackbeard didn't have the chance to protect himself. His blade sliced the other man's side so quickly that Blackbeard's last sword fell to the ground.

Despite being weaponless, Blackbeard had managed to knock Hook's sword out of his hand. Just as Hook was about to spring forward to reclaim his weapon, Blackbeard pulled a dagger out from his belt and stabbed Hook in the thigh.

Again, David had to pull Emma back from jumping into the fight.

Hook limped through the pain as he punched Blackbeard in the face – making his grip on the dagger loosen. The two men lunged forward, fighting for possession of the dagger. Just as Blackbeard's hand was about to reach for the knife, Hook's hook had managed to nick his arm, allowing him to snatch the dagger from Blackbeard's reach.

Blackbeard was still on the ground clutching his wounds, as Hook gingerly started to stand up. The dagger was an inch close to his throat, but again, Hook didn't do it.

He dropped the dagger and looked Blackbeard straight in the eye.

"Trust me, _Blackbeard_, I can kill you, but I won't," he spat. "But the next time you come near me or anyone I care about, your body will be at the bottom of the ocean, do you understand me?"

Blackbeard simply nodded, and Hook turned away, and started limping towards Emma.

"I understand you loud and clear," Blackbeard yelled, making Hook turn around. "But I would rather die than be in your debt, boy!" He picked up the dagger that lay near his knees and plunged it into his stomach.

"_No!" _Hook heard someone yell, only to later find out that it was he who shouted the word. He ran back to the man whose body lay on the docks bleeding out, ignoring the pain shooting through his leg. Hook propped Blackbeard's body on his thigh and tried to stop the bleeding.

"Help! Someone help him!" Emma could see the tears starting to well up in those famous blue eyes.

Both Emma and David came to his side, David calling an ambulance at the same time.

Emma checked his pulse, but nothing. "He's dead, Killian."

"No…" David couldn't understand why his death had affected him so much, since all his life, this man who he was told was his father, had treated him like scum. But Emma understood perfectly clear. '_I guess somewhere in me, there's still that little boy hoping his father would come back for him.' _Once upon a time, whether the man lying cold on Hook's lap was his father or not, Killian Jones looked up to him and _loved _him.

Minutes later, two ambulances arrived and the paramedics lifted Blackbeard's body off of Killian and brought it into the ambulance. There was nothing that could be done to save him, but Emma had insisted they did this for Killian.

She had helped him stand up and he shifted most of his weight onto her. She muttered words of reassurance the whole journey from the docks to the hospital ("_It's going to be okay, I promise_"). There, the doctors cleaned out his wounds and stitched him up.

Hook had insisted that Blackbeard would have a sailor's proper burial – so they wheeled Hook onto the Queen Anne's Revenge and sailed into the middle of the ocean. Once his goodbyes were said, they dropped Blackbeard's body into the vast sea. Throughout all of this, Emma was standing by Killian's side, holding his hand.

Killian had realised how happy he _should _be – after all, his biggest nemesis was now dead. But a part of him couldn't let go. _At least,_ he thought, at least Emma would be here to help him get through it.

* * *

**A/N: Hey! I guess I wasn't done with Blackbeard! Sigh, hasn't Killian been through enough. Now his dad isn't even his dad anymore. Oh well! Hope you liked it :)**


	8. Chapter 8

It was five in the evening and she didn't get lunch break off, so she still hadn't seen him that day. It had been four days since the incident, and she refused to let him come into work. Everyday since then, she came by to see him during lunch breaks and after work.

On her way to his room, she had picked up some food over at the diner, as well as two cups of hot cocoa. She walked up the stairwell and knocked on his door before carefully letting herself in. When she came into the room, his back was turned against her, but the slight turn of his head and the little nod, let her know that she was welcomed. She shrugged off her coat and hung it by the door before making her way across the room.

His stiches were still fresh, so he wasn't allowed to wear his ridiculously tight leather pants, resulting in him wearing his new grey sweatpants and a plain white shirt. Whatever he was writing from before, he had hid it inside one of the drawers of the desks as she approached him and placed the food and drinks onto the table. He still hadn't looked her directly in the eye, only a faint hint of a small smile on his lips as a 'thank you' for the food.

"I got us some food to eat," she said a little too chirpily. She really wasn't used to cheering people up, so this was a completely new thing for her.

"Us?" he raised an eyebrow, "You're dining with me today, then?"

"If that's okay with you," she dragged the chair from the corner of the room, giving him not much of a choice.

She pulled out two take-out packages and plopped them onto the table, neatly folding the brown paper bag and putting it to the side. She was about to open his packaging for him, but he stopped her, assuring her that he could manage perfectly well on his own. She sighed. Emma had no clue how to handle this side of him, but she sure as hell wasn't going to give up.

"I, uh- I got you a steak sandwich – thought you should try something new," she smiled.

"I appreciate it, Emma," he thanked her flatly with a forced smile on his face.

They ate quietly, but unlike most of their other silences, this was quite uncomfortable. She had tried making small talk – "How's your food?" and "What did you do today?" – but he just wasn't biting.

Once they'd finished their meals, Emma had cleared everything up, and he had progressed to sit on his bed with a book in his hand. He was clearly trying to make her feel unwelcomed, but she didn't care – she was going to keep trying. When she returned from the bathroom to wash her hands, she found him lying on the bed with his nose buried in the book.

When he had finally decided to acknowledge she was back, he tilted the book down slightly, letting his eyes meet hers for the first time of the night.

"Thank you for the meal and the cocoa, Swan," he smiled – genuinely this time. "It's getting late – you should return to your boy. Wouldn't want to keep him waiting."

"It's Friday. He's staying with Regina tonight," she simply stated, as she casually crawled into the empty side of his bed. He seemed to tense at her actions, raising an eyebrow questionably.

"Swan?" he asked nervously.

"I'm tired from work, and I just want to lay back and watch TV – is that okay with you?" she said, rather than asked.

"I… I guess," he was defeated. _She knew_, he thought, _she knew that I couldn't say no to her_.

She smiled sweetly in response, before reaching for the remote and turning the screen on. He watched her as she flipped through the channels before giving up and returning back to his book. He felt her move closer and closer to him, and – for the first time – he was feeling uncomfortable.

She honestly had no clue what she was doing. Emma knew that she was bad at trying to comfort him with words, so she attempted to comfort him with her presence – much like he had on numerous occasions.

"Emma, what're you doing?" he asked much more harshly than he had wanted as he snapped his book shut and placed it on the bedside table. He didn't understand what she was playing at. Just that Monday, he had basically told her that he couldn't live without her and she hid behind her walls, and now she was here _cuddling _up to him.

She was taken aback by the harshness of his tone. "I'm watching TV – what does it look like I'm doing?" she retorted.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," he sat up, crossing his legs at the same time. She followed suit, turning her body to face towards his.

"No. I don't. Care to explain?" she challenged.

"One moment you're hitting me, then the next you're curled up by my side. You keep pulling this on me! This- this hot and cold, hot and cold treatment!" he raised his voice. "I practically told you that I couldn't look at another woman without thinking of you, and you go _completely_ cold on me. And now- and now, you're here in my bed. I don't understand what you want from me!" She saw the pain in his eyes. He didn't _want _to burst, but she had it coming. He was right – she was constantly pushing him away, and when he took a step back, she'd pull him right back to where they started.

"I don't know what I want, okay!" she shouted. He sighed as he massaged his temples in frustration. She touched his hand and pulled it towards her, entwining his fingers with hers. "I don't know what I want," she repeated, much more calmly this time, "but I know that I _need _you. You have no idea how lost I was for just that week you left – and when you came back, I saw- I saw them wheel you into surgery with blood- so much blood gushing out of you. Do you know how that made me feel?" A single tear rolled down her cheek as he tightened his grip on her hand.

"Emma, I never meant-"

"I'm _trying, _Killian. I'm trying to be the person you were to me through the whole Wicked Witch massacre. And I don't care if you're going to push me away – I'll keep fighting, just like you did for me. You're worth fighting for, too."

"Emma-," he was going to continue, but he was at a lost of words. So instead, he let go of her hand only to pull her into his arms, nuzzling his face into her neck, having her do the same to his. Even after (reluctantly) releasing her from the embrace, he continued to hold her, resting his forehead on hers.

"You don't have to go through this alone," she breaths, before connecting her lips to his. It's the complete opposite to their kiss back in Neverland – it was slow, soft and loving. The kiss didn't last long but that didn't matter to him. All that mattered was that she was in his arms right now. He didn't expect her to drop any 'I love yous', but this was declaration enough.

"Stay here with me tonight," he mumbled quietly, not wanting to force her into anything.

"Okay," she said before kissing him on the lips again.

She slipped out of his hold and crawled off the bed, making his eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"Emma?"

She was walking towards his dresser when she turned back to face him. "I can't sleep in this, now can I?" she asked rhetorically, as she opened a drawer and pulled out one of his plain t-shirts that she had bought him from before.

He laid back smiling, thinking that now, he could _finally_ call her his. She slipped into the bathroom and a moment later reappeared wearing just his shirt _and no pants_ with her sweater and jeans folded in her arms.

_God her legs, _he thought. He'd have to physically refrain himself from not doing anything tonight.

She continued to keep their eye contact as she moved from the desk to put down her clothes to the other side of the room where she turned off the ceiling lights. She took slow steps towards the bed before crawling under the duvet next to him.

"Love, you're going to be the death of me," he whispered breathily as he took her into his arms again. He seemed to understand that she didn't want to rush things by jumping into anything – _or anyone _– and he was perfectly content with just holding her in his arms.

His arm was draped protectively over her waist while her hand held it in place. Their feet were tangled together and his head was just above hers.

"Goodnight, love," he whispered into her ear, and she responded with a mumbled "Night, Killian," before he heard her breathing steady, confirming that she had drifted to sleep. As his eyelids started to get heavier, he placed a final kiss on the top of her head, before finally drifting off into a sleep of his own.

* * *

**A/N: I'm so glad that at least 91 of you guys like this fan fic. :)**

**Any thoughts or suggestions?**

**Thanks for reading :)**


	9. Chapter 9

He had woken up the next day to an empty bed. _It was just a dream_, he sighed. _She didn't really say those things. Get a grip of yourself, Jones. _He dragged himself out of bed almost grudgingly deciding that his hallucination of Emma would be as good of a reason to get out of bed and into the normal world again. It was stupid – he knew Emma didn't feel the same for him, why would she? She had immediately closed up when he mentioned selling the Jolly Roger and that was evidence enough to how she felt about him.

He limped over to the dresser – leg still slightly stinging from last week's brawl that he had tried to forget over and over again – when he saw a single piece of paper folded and placed nicely atop the desk. Curiously, he hopped over to the desk and picked up the piece of paper.

Immediately, the sadness from before washed away, being replaced with pure glee. It _had _happened.

_Had to rush off – Mary Margaret wanted to talk to me about something. I still have your shirt, though, and I plan on keeping it. See you later today? – Emma xx_

He had no idea what '_xx_' meant, but he was sure pleased that everything he thought had happened the night before actually happened.

* * *

After his pleasant shower, he had stopped over at Granny's to pick up a cup of coffee before heading over to the docks. Yes, the events that happened at the docks from a week ago were still engrained into his mind, but the sea had always managed to find a way to comfort him.

Sitting at the bench, he took a sip of his coffee and stared out into the vast ocean. He was at peace. As of right now, he had everything he could ever dream of – Emma Swan. Just at that thought, he heard someone call his name.

"Killian!" he turned around and saw Henry walking over to him, waving his hand meanwhile. His face couldn't help light up when he saw the boy – after all, over time; he had come to loving the boy as his own – much like he did with Henry's father.

Killian raised a hand (his only hand) and replied by giving him a short wave before gesturing for the boy to sit down. But instead, when Henry reached the bench, he remained standing.

"Is that your lunch?" Henry questioned, eyeing his coffee.

"This?" he raised the cup, "No, lad, more like breakfast," he smiled.

"Breakfast? I don't know what time you have your breakfast, Killian, but now's time for lunch," Henry laughed.

"Hmm? That so?"

"Yeah – that was kind of why I came looking for you. Thought you might want to join me for lunch?" Henry asked hopefully.

"I'd love to, boy," he agreed as he stood up and placed his arm around the boy affectionately. Killian couldn't help smile to himself the whole walk towards Granny's feeling like he might've finally found a family – that he might've found a home.

* * *

Lunch with Henry had gone well. He had been practicing his dice throwing and this time he'd been able to keep much more of his fries to himself. Henry had looked pleased at his new skills, making Killian promise him to teach him more things – like how to swordfight and sail an actual ship. After lunch, Henry had gone to visit his grandparents, while Killian returned back to the docks.

And that was exactly where Emma had found him.

"Hey," she greeted as she took a seat at the empty spot next to him and slid her arm around his waist. She rested her head against his shoulder and he rested his on her head in return. She was new to this whole 'show of affection' thing, but this felt completely natural.

"Hello, love." He kissed the top of her head tenderly. "I've been wondering where you were."

"Sorry I had to leave so early," she apologised, nuzzling her head into her neck as he placed his arm on her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. "Mary Margaret wanted to discuss some things."

She felt him nod his head in response. He knew she was being vague purposely, but he didn't push the matter, and she was grateful.

"So, what did you do all day?"

"Not much, love," he replied, staring out into the sea. "I had lunch with your boy, though – that was nice."

Emma looked up to his face where a sweet smile had appeared on it, and she couldn't help but smile as well. It warmed her heart to see him care so much about her son.

"I- I like you, Killian," she blurted. He tilted his head to face her and had a quizzical look on it. "I mean, I like _like _you," she stammered. "I know it's not the right 'L' word you're looking for, but I'm just not ready to say it. I just wanted you to know that I _really_ like you."

"Emma," he began slowly, tucking the strands of loose blonde hair behind her ear, "I don't need a declaration of how you feel about me because I know exactly how I feel about you. I am perfectly content with whatever you give me – whether it's a relationship or even a friendship – I don't care. We'll go as fast, or as slow as you're comfortable with." He kissed her cheek. Then the other. Then her nose. And finally, his lips landed on her lips. The kiss was very much like the one from the night before – slow, sweet and vulnerable. "And, just so you know," he tilted her head up, making her eyes come into contact with his eyes of deep blue, "I like _like _you a lot too."

_Fuck. This damn smooth talker. _Just with his words, he was making her fall much quicker than she had ever expected. She was scared, but it was hard to deny how _right _this felt.

"Walk me home?" she asked, as she got up from the bench and pulled him up with her.

"It'd be my pleasure, my lady," he smiled – and _God,_ did she love that smile.

* * *

He didn't come in that night, knowing Henry was staying with her, so being the gentleman he was, he walked her to her door, before giving her a much too gentlemanly goodnight kiss on her forehead.

The whole night, she was haunted by his blue eyes invading her mind that she couldn't even focus on the conversation she was having with Henry.

"Mom?" Henry asked with his eyebrows furrowed. "Are you alright? You seem a little out of it tonight."

"What? Oh no, I'm alright. Go on," she urged him to continue.

"Yeah, so as I was saying, I beat Killian at his own game. I practiced and I won more fries than he did this time!" Henry boasted triumphantly. "He also promised to teach me how to really swordfight!" Emma's smile grew the more her son talked about him. For once, she felt like she had a whole family.

"You really like him, don't you?"

"Yeah," Henry agreed, "I do. But apparently not as much as you do," Henry smirked.

"Hey, you wipe that smirk off of your face, young man! You've been spending way too much time with him," she hit his arm playfully, but the grin still remained on his face. "Now, go clean up these plates and go to bed."

"Yes, Mom," he complained mockingly before grabbing the plates and running off to kitchen before Emma could hit him again.

"Night, kid!" she yelled at the kitchen. She heard his reply as she retreated to her bedroom.

That night, she couldn't stop herself from fishing Killian's shirt from the night before out of the laundry basket and putting it on, wishing that it was him that was keeping her warm. She wanted him there with her, but she was scared of moving too fast and she appreciated how he understood that.

It was crazy. She had never felt like this before. Yeah, she was once in love with Neal, but she never felt like this. She never felt like her heart was going to explode from just being away from him for this long – for God's sake she saw him less than an hour ago. She felt like she had been infected by the Killian Jones disease and that there was no found cure to it – not that she wanted a cure.

It frightened her to no end at how deep she had fallen, and it was more horrifying that he felt the same about her. God knows her track record with men who she cared about. Nothing ever went right for her, so she prayed that he was one of the things that she _could_ get right.

She tossed and turned all night, missing how well she slept the night before _in his arms_. She just missed him. She felt helpless without his warmth and the light smell of him given off from his shirt wasn't enough.

After Killian had dropped Emma off at her loft, he had made a pit stop at Granny's and grabbed himself a burger (Henry had introduced that to him over lunch and he found that he quite liked it) before heading back to his room.

He wanted to be with her, he wanted to hold her, hug her, kiss her. But he had promised to take it slow.

He tried to sleep, but he felt restless. Like he needed her there with him. He contemplated walking over to her loft and slipping into her bed, wrapping his arms around her. But he had promised. _God, why did he promise?_ He felt weak not having her here with him.

At that exact moment, Killian heard a loud, obnoxious ringing sound. It startled him, making his body jump slightly off the bed. Confused, he scanned the room, searching for the source of the noise. Only after the fourth ring, he figured out that the sound was coming from the red device on his nightstand. Slowly (and admittedly timidly), Killian lifted the top of it off when he heard a small but familiar voice.

"Killian?" he heard the voice ask.

Curiously, he brought the device closer to his ear, before finally answering wuth a cautious, "hello?"

"Killian?" it asked again.

"Emma, lass, is that you? How are you on this little device, what's going on?" She couldn't help snicker at the confusion in his voice.

"It's called a phone. We can communicate with each other even when we're not together," she explained.

"Well that's useful," he commented, sounding genuinely interested. "But what's wrong, love? Are you alright?"

She smiled at the concern she detected in his tone.

"I'm- I'm fine," she started. "I just missed you," he heard her mumble. "I wanted to hear your voice, that's all."

"If it makes you feel any better, I missed you as well. I contemplated sneaking into your bedroom just to hold you until you fell asleep," he laughed to himself.

Silence.

He thought he scared her by saying that, but on the other end, she was thinking of how absolutely lovely it sounded.

"I- I know, it sounds ridiculous," he stuttered.

"No- Killian, that sounds perfect," she whispered reassuringly.

"Do you- do you want me to stay on this device until you fall asleep?" he asked quietly, unsure of what exactly he should do.

"Yeah. I do."

"Go to sleep, Swan," he urged her soothingly. "I may not be there physically, but I'm right here."

"Goodnight, Jones," her voice getting even more quiet.

"Sleep well, love."

She woke up in the middle of the night – it had to be no earlier than 6 am, since there was no light coming in through the windows – when she heard the steady breathing from the other end of the line. He was still there. She checked the time and saw that it was 4 am – the call had gone on for 5 hours. Oh shit, _literally _going to cost her. But she honestly couldn't care less. The bill could go up to 500 dollars and she wouldn't care. All that was important was that he was still there.

She didn't end the call. Instead, she placed the phone on the nightstand and turned the loudspeaker on and drifted back to sleep with the sound of his breathing as her own personal lullaby.

* * *

**A/N: Hello! So I'm thinking of having one or two more chapters before concluding this little fic. I'm not sure if you guys want more drama before the calm or for them to just have a happy ending. Either way, I have an idea for each choice. **

**So, suggestions? **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	10. Chapter 10

The next few weeks had gone by smoothly for the couple. They had spent most of their time with each other, neither one able to keep their hands (_or hand_) off of the other. Killian had spent most of his nights over at Emma's - their nights spent a little more _differently_ when Henry stays with Regina. And _God, _were those spent well.

Of course nothing was ever perfect – they had their little arguments over the most trivial things, but he had always been able to resolve their problems with feathered kisses and warm embraces.

Storybrooke was peaceful again – no dragons, no evil queens, no Pan and no wicked witches.

That was, until Killian ran into someone from Emma's past. Or more like some_thing_.

Regina had asked him to go and fetch Robin from the forest due to '_pressing matters_' – of which Killian didn't need knowing about – when he heard a loud screech pierce through the serene forest air. _No, it was impossible, _Killian thought. All the flying beasts had turned back into human form the moment the green witch was defeated. Turning around, he immediately pulled out his cutlass, eyes scanning through the trees to see where the sound had originated. That was when he heard someone clear their throat.

"Over here, Captain," a man's voice came out from behind him.

Slowly, Killian turned around and was met with a man who leered at him with the smuggest grin Killian was yet to come across. Oddly, the man looked as though he knew him, but Killian couldn't place if he had ever seen this man before.

"Who are you?" Killian asked, raising the cutlass slightly.

"I'm guessing Emma never talked about me?" The grin grew wider.

"And why would she?" Killian questioned, voice coming out shakier than he would've liked.

"Why? Probably because she slept in _my _bed, in _my _arms, for as long as eight months, while _you_ were brooding in the Enchanted Forest," he emphasized on the words just to taunt him, adding, "of course," just to mock him.

Immediately, Killian realised who the man was.

"Walsh," Killian said in disgust through gritted teeth.

"Ah! So she has mentioned me!" he exclaimed in an excitedly sarcastic.

"What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be back in Oz crying over your green master?" Killian spat.

"I just wanted to say hello to Emma and Henry. No harm in that, is there?" The wide grin returned.

"Actually, yes. You stay away from Swan and the lad, or I'll have your throat." Walsh wasn't talking to Killian now, this was definitely Hook – and Hook was pissed. He lifted the sword higher, blade now touching the skin of Walsh's neck.

"Oooh," he cooed mockingly, "well, this isn't very fair, now is it?"

In the matter of seconds, Walsh had gone from human to flying monkey right before Hook's very eyes. Blood red eyes piercing into Killian's soft blue ones. He stepped back voluntarily, making sure there was some space between him and the beast. The creature had pushed itself off the ground, hovering a safe distance above Hook, making sure the sword was out of reach.

The beast was circling him – like an eagle would his prey right before swooping in and claiming its meal. And that was exactly what the winged simian did. It dove down managed to sink its claw into Hook's side (thankfully, the unscarred side), trying to grab his entire body with it. He felt the piercing pain of the sharp claws breaking skin and meeting flesh as it dragged its way up the side of his body. But Hook had been lucky enough to get a nick of the monkey's front limb with his cutlass; instinctively making the beast let go.

The second time it tried to attack, he had been at the ready. Completely ignoring the searing pain coming from his fresh wounds, Hook managed another long cut on the creature's body, this time on its body.

That did it. The beast retreated, flying away to some isolated corner of the forest, cowering away like the coward the man behind the fur really was.

Killian had slumped himself against a tree, applying pressure to his wound when Robin and his band of Merry Men had come running into the clearing of which Killian was in with their weapons at the ready.

"What was that?" Robin asked, looking up to the sky.

It was only when Killian spoke up did any of them realise that he was even there.

"One of Emma's previous lovers was not too happy to see me," Killian grinned weakly, gesturing with his hook to his wounds.

"Jones!" Robin rushed to his side, his men following quickly behind him. "Now is not the time to joke, you git!" he scolded as he lifted Killian's shirt to examine his wounds, "You're bloody bleeding out!"

"'That so?" he asked sarcastically. "You'd think I'd notice."

"Shut your gob, Jones." He turned around to his men, "Little John, I'll need you to carry him back to the town."

The last thing Killian remembered happening was being lifted off the ground, and a second later, his world went black.

* * *

_Bang, bang, bang!_

Emma looked up from the magazine she was reading. She wasn't expecting anyone. Curiously, she set the magazine down on the coffee table, before proceeding to the door. She looked through the peephole and found a panting Robin on the other side of the door. She swung open the door immediately, concern and confusion etched on her face.

"Robin?"

"Emma, it's Jones."

* * *

Emma drove to the hospital as fast as she could. Thankfully, the streets of Storybrooke were almost always empty, so in less than 5 minutes, she was at the hospital. She didn't even have to ask the nurse where he was. The nurse simply told her the room he was in, knowing that he was probably the only reason why she was at the hospital.  
She found him lying on the bed, while Whale was standing with his back facing her, checking his charts. Flashbacks of his motionless body from all those months ago, replayed in her head. She remembered the worry that flowed through her when she saw the nurses wheel him into the emergency room on the gurney with blood gushing out of his stomach. The brand new stiches on his other side were a horrible reminder to the awful memories from before.

"Is- is he okay?" she asked slowly.

Whale turned around and saw Emma with tears in her eyes. He walked towards her, placing an arm on her shoulder. "He'll be back to normal in no time. The cut wasn't that deep so stitching him up was enough. He's a bit drugged up now."

Emma sighed in relief and Whale took his leave. Weakly, Emma walked over to his bed and sat down next to his body. She lifted his chin up with her index finger and kissed him on the lips carefully. She wasn't trying to wake him up or anything, but when his lips started moving against hers, she knew he was awake.

"Go back to sleep," she murmured against his lips.

"But this is so much better."

He kept on kissing her, when she started to pull away, but he was fast enough to pull her head back, continuing the kiss.

"Great," she startled him, pulling away from the kiss quickly. "Then we can talk about how you got into this situation - _again_."

_Uh oh. He was soooo screwed._

"Got into a little fight, lass. Nothing to worry about," he responded quickly, adding a little smile at the end.

"And this person decided to slice your guts out?" she asked sardonically.

"Well, you see…"

"Out with the truth, Jones," she cut him short before he could come up with some lie.

"It was Walsh," he finally admitted in defeat.

"Walsh?" Emma repeated in shock. "I thought he was banished back to Oz?"

"I guess not," Killian shrugged nonchalantly. "Anyway, I managed to get him back, so he's pretty battered."

"You have to stop getting yourself into these situations!" she yelled louder than she'd wanted.

"You think I asked for this, lass?"

"It doesn't fucking matter, Jones!" she argued back, her volume increasing. Her peripheral vision showed her two nurses popping their head in from the door, curious as to what was going on. She calmed down momentarily. "You don't know what it's like. I've seen you injured, wounded far too many times," her voice was lower but tone still strong. "When you came back," she whispered this time, "-when you came back, and I watched them wheel your _lifeless_ body into surgery – do you know how scared I was?"

"Swan—"

"Do you know how much regret I felt at that moment? Knowing that _if _you didn't make it, you wouldn't know how I felt about you?"

"Darling, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I assure you: no more fights," he promised her. "But I can't promise that I won't risk my life for yours or Henry. I will always put your lives before my own. I care about the two of you too much, okay?" He pulled her to his chest – now, her body lying close to his side. He stroked her hair lovingly, before placing a kiss on the top of her head. He felt the material above his chest dampen slightly, her tears dropping onto him. She looked up at him with her green watery eyes.

"Okay," she murmured before nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck.

He continued stroking her hair softly with his hand until he heard her breathing steady. Minutes later, he fell asleep as well.

* * *

It was at least two hours later when Emma had woken up clutching Killian's body. She wiggled herself off of the bed and went to the bathroom. When she had finished freshening up, she exited the toilet and it was only then did she realise the stack of Killian's clothing laid out on the sofa.

From where she was standing, she could see that his beloved leather coat had at least three long gashes cutting through it_._

She walked over to the sofa to examine his clothing to see if any of it could be salvaged.

Luckily for him _(and a little bit for her)_, his leather pants were in perfect condition, whereas the black cotton shirt, the vest and the coat had identical slices on them. You'd think three layers of clothing might be able to help protect you from a _fucking flying monkey_, but nothing is ever as it seems, huh?

Emma lifted up his leather coat to inspect the damages done. She cringed slightly at how she was going to break the news to him, especially since she knew how devastated he'd be. He _loved _the coat more than anything. Once, she had worn his coat when he had offered it to her, and he _literally _pounced on her the moment it landed on her shoulders. Emma had noted that down on the list of things that turned him on.

She padded her hand around his coat to remove anything she could find, allowing her to fold it properly. First, she had found his flask. It was empty. It _had _been empty for a while now. She set it on the sofa, before proceeding to the other pockets. In the other pocket, she had found pieces of paper- _no,_ parchment, a few with neat, cursive handwriting written all over it, and the others were drawings – drawings of her to be exact. Admittedly, the drawings made her feel so good, like she was being so well appreciated, but then again, when had she never been appreciated by him?Granted not _all_ of the drawings were of her. There were two of her (smiling and looking happy), one of Henry (that pulled at her heartstrings), and lastly, one of the Jolly Roger.

It was only when she saw the drawing of the Jolly Roger did she realise that she was snooping. She had _honestly_ tried to stop herself from continuing looking, but she felt like something else in one of the pockets were calling out for her.

She pulled open the jacket – ignoring the guilt of snooping that was growing inside of her – and reached her hand into the right inner breast pocket. She felt her fingers meet with some sort of velvety pouch. She pulled it out curiously. It wasn't like she was suspicious of him or anything, it was just that she was genuinely interested as to what he kept close to his heart.

The pouch was a small, red bag, with a string tying the top together. She felt around the tiny pouch, and at the first touch, she felt something hard and circular shaped… with a hollow middle… and something that was shaped like a square at some part of the object.

_Oh shit. _Realisation hit Emma. It was a fucking _ring_. Her body slumped on the sofa, still holding and feeling around the velvet pouch.

She didn't want to jump to conclusions – but she was jumping to conclusions. _Was this an engagement ring?_ _Were they even ready for that?_ One part of her mind was in complete panic, whereas the other side was filled with glee. _He wanted to marry __**her**__. And what was stopping her from marrying him? _

He loved her, and she loved him – although neither one have admitted their feelings for each other yet. They had been dating (or 'courting', as he'd say it), for a few weeks now, and they both knew that they loved each other, but she believed he was scared that if he said it, she'd pull up her defenses again. She wasn't going to. Not this time.

She heard Killian groan and stretch in his sleep slightly, pulling her away from her thoughts and fantasies. She hurriedly placed all of his belongings back to where she had found them, finishing off the job by laying the coat back where it initially was – making it seem like it wasn't ever touched. She couldn't let him know she knew about the _maybe/maybe not _proposal.

She quietly slipped back to his side, his bad arm instinctively curled around her protectively, _and boy did she feel protected._ She wiggled her body slightly, getting into a more comfortable position, settling with a leg laying a top his own, while her arm draped around his lean torso. She had nuzzled her face into his body, breathing him in like he was oxygen and she couldn't live without him. Even in his sleep, she could've sworn she saw him smile.

* * *

A few hours later, Killian awoke.

"Emma, love, wake up," he murmured into her ear. "Whale said I could leave today," he continued sleepily.

"Mhmm," she groaned.

"C'mon, lass. We can continue sleeping back in our own bed."

_'__Our own bed'._

He saw her lips curl upwards in a sweet smile when he muttered the words, filling his heart with glee.

"Okay."

The moment she opened her eyes, she was met with piercing blue ones.

"Hi," she murmured, pecking him lightly on the lips.

"'ello, darling," Killian replied, mimicking her actions and kissing her again. "Shall we?"

He made a move to get up, but she pulled him back down.

"Killian, I love you."

_Holy shit, she finally said it. See, Emma! It wasn't __**that**__ bad!_

The expression on his face was a moment she wanted to remember for the rest of her life. He looked completely shocked at her sudden confession, but ever so pleased at the same time.

His lips met hers again, kissing her deeply this time. When Killian pulled away, he kissed the tip of her nose lovingly, whispering a soft, "I love you too, Emma," back at her.

"Good," she beamed up at him. "_Now,_ let's get back to our bed."

She jumped off the hospital bed with a surprising about of energy, and he followed after – although with much less jumping and much less energy. He was walking towards his clothes that were laid out on the couch when he heard her mutter something.

"Also-I-think-my-monkey-ex-boyfriend-might've-destroyed-your-coat," she mumbled in quick succession, only loud enough for him to _just _catch the words.

He turned his body towards her, his expression changed completely. Let's just say his jaw was on the floor.

* * *

**A/N: One more chapter than you're done with me! Thanks for reading!**

**Also, sorry it took me so long to update!**


	11. Chapter 11

"Operation Engagement!"

"Too obvious, Roland!" Henry argued with the younger boy, rolling his eyes and scoffing something that sounded a lot like 'amateur'.

"Any suggestions, little princess?" Killian cooed at the baby he was holding in his arms. He chuckled when little she waved her hands around.

"Operation Emma?" Roland suggested quietly.

"Hmm, what about Operation Swan?" Killian piped in.

"Perfect!" Henry agreed, beaming up at Killian meanwhile.

Henry pulled off the cap of the marker with his teeth and spelled out the words on the blank piece of paper laying on the coffee table. Once he had finished scribbling the title onto the paper, the boys simply stared at it in silence.

"We've got the name… Now what?" Killian asked, lightly scratching behind his ear.

"We should've called David into this meeting…" Henry suggested quietly.

"Too right, m'boy!"

A second later, Killian leapt up off the couch, handing over little Emilia to Henry, jumping over the coffee table and making his way to the door.

"I'll be back in less than an hour! Henry, you're in charge!" he added as he opened the door and darted out.

* * *

_Third time's the charm_. His house – _no David_. The station – _no David. _Finally, he had managed to find him in The Rabbit Hole, nursing a bottle of beer in his hand as he watched what they called 'football' on the screen hanging in the top corner of the bar.

Killian walked towards him, clapping his hand on David's shoulder before taking the empty stool next to his. He turned his head at Killian's presence and gave him a small nod of acknowledgement. Killian gestured to the bartender to get him whatever David had.

The moment he took a sip of the beer, he's spat it right back out, earning an unamused face from the bartender.

"Sorry, mate," he apologised. "Tastes like goddamn piss. Rum, please."

"How is it that you can handle rum, but not beer?" David asked genuinely, laughing slightly at the look of disgust on Killian's face.

"I'm immune to it," he smiled, before gulping down most of the rum in the glass.

"What're you doing here anyway? Weren't you supposed to look after- Where's Emilia!" he yelled, as he stood up abruptly from the stool.

"Calm down, mate. Henry's looking after her," he pulled David back onto the stool from his shoulder.

David stared at Killian for a while, only when fully convinced, he took another sip of his beer.

"Do you remember a few months back, when we were talking about Emma's wellbeing and I mentioned how I'd like to some day marry her?"

Cautiously, David nodded. He was unsure whether or not he liked where this was going.

"Aye, well, I want to marry her," Killian continued, adding, "-today," after a moment.

"Today? Are you crazy! You're not even engaged!"

"No, no! What I meant to say is, I'd like to marry her soon, and I'm thinking of asking for her hand in marriage one of these days," he corrected himself. "Back then, you told me I had your blessing when the time came. I just wanted to make sure that you hadn't changed your mind." David's expression softened slightly at his explanation.

"Jones, you've done _a lot_ for my daughter. You still have my blessing," he assured him, a small smile appearing on his lips as he clinked his bottle to Killian's glass.

"Great!" Killian jumped. "'Cause me and the boys are stuck in a rut, and I think we may need your touch of romantics."

"Come on," David got up, pulling out some cash from his wallet and dropping it on the bar. "Let's plan your proposal."

* * *

_Meet me by the docks, tonight – 7 pm. _

_KJ_

She should be excited. She _is _excited, knowing that he does have a ring and is probably planning on proposing. But this was the fourth romantic gesture of the week, and on each date, it ended the same way they usually ended – the both of them going to bed together with no ring on her finger.

The first time, he'd asked her to come by Granny's after hours. When she arrived, the lights were turned off – the candles the only thing allowing her to see anything. She was sure he was going to ask tonight – _completely sure._ There was one point of the night where she had no doubt in her mind that he was going to ask her, but he didn't. Instead, he kissed her on the lips and told her how beautiful she was.

The next time, he left a note for her, asking her to meet him by the town-line. It was a strange request, but Emma obliged, thinking he wanted a secluded area to ask her, without any interruptions. _But again,_ he didn't. This time, he trailed kisses softly on her jaw and told her how she was the most brilliant person he'd ever met.

The third time, she'd come home late to the loft beautifully decorated with flowers and candles. The table was set beautifully. Usually, they'd just order in – since Emma was not very domesticated, nor could Killian really cook with a hook for a hand – but this time, he'd prepared them dinner. Even though it wasn't that fancy _(pesto chicken breast with crème brulee – which she was sure Mary Margaret had helped him with) _she couldn't have felt more content. Emma would've been lying had she said that she wasn't expecting a ring hidden nicely in the dessert. _But alas,_ nothing. He reached across the table and held her hand, caressing the back of it smoothly with his thumb. Then, he told her how she was the strongest person he'd ever have the privilege of loving. She tried to hide her disappointment of the lack of proposal behind her smile, as she leaned over the table and met his lips halfway.

Before this, she hadn't even spared a thought about marriage. _Yes,_ she wanted to spend her life with Killian, but she never thought about the idea of getting married and actually being someone's _wife._ And then, she almost lost him – _again._ And she couldn't risk that. So when she found the ring, she panicked at first, but, that _was _what she wanted anyway. She wanted _him_. She loved _him. _And he loved her.

That was all she needed - him and Henry.

Coming out from her car, she wasn't surprised to see the pathway from the docks to his ship was lit romantically with small candles. She followed where the pathway led, and standing at the main deck stood Killian Jones. He wasn't wearing his usual pirate garb (he hadn't since his coat ripped, but he still wore those god blessed leather pants occasionally), instead, he was wearing a smart navy blue three-piece suit, that didn't help but brighten the colour of his eyes (as well as his prosthetic hand in replacement of his hook).

He strode towards her, holding out his hand and guiding her up the gangplank. With a soft smile on his lips, he procured a rose from inside the blazer and placed it in her hands, kissing her on the cheek at the same time.

"Hello," he smiled, as she pecked a kiss on his lips.

"Hey," she smiled back.

"You look beautiful, love." His hand found hers, and he stroked the back of it with his thumb. "I don't know how I'd ever come to deserve a woman like you. Of course, the road to deserving you was never smooth, but it was well worth the wait. I love you for your brilliance," – a kiss to her forehead, "for your wit," – her cheek, "for your strength," - the other check, "for your need to always challenge me," – her nose, "and lastly for your-"

"Wait, Killian," she pulled away, startling him slightly. "Stop."

"What?"

"I know! I know about the ring – and I've been ready to say 'yes' this whole damn week, but _nothing_!" she ranted, stepping back slightly and waved her arms around, wiping the confused look off Killian's face, replacing it with a completely amused one. "You've been romantic with me the _whole _week – not that that's anything new or something – but I need you to know that I'm _not_ going to run! I _want_ to be with you!"

Killian pinched the bridge of his nose and chuckled inwardly.

"And now you're laughing at me!"

"Love, shut up for a minute will you?" he stepped forward back into her space and placed his index finger on her lips, silencing her immediately. "If you had let me finish, I would've ended it with a 'and lastly, for your stubbornness.'" He kissed her on the lips, while his hand cradled the back of her head, deepening it.

"And then," he said, pulling away from the kiss, "I would've brought you up here," he took her hand and led her towards the forecastle deck. Candles had been lit, creating a pathway leading towards a single blanket laid out in the centre of the surface. He pulled her to the blanket and held her shoulders in place, asking her to stay put. "Then," he continued slowly, before descending down before her, planting one knee on the floor, "I'd get down on one knee, and list out all the reasons I love you – well most, there are far too many for me to list out in a single night," he smirked, making her blush slightly. "I'd then take this out." He reached into his blazer and pulled out a blue velvet box. "I hear women like it when their rings are in these boxes rather than a simple pouch in this realm," he winked. He flipped the box open with one hand expertly – almost as though he'd been practicing – procuring a ring, with a silver band and a light shade of green tinted into the jewel on it – _a green amethyst ring_, he called it. "It was my mother's," he reminisced. "It was to be given to Liam, but after _unfortunate_ events, it went to me. On the way to me actually wanting to give it to the person who well deserved it, I lost it, to Blackbeard – _that's _why I had to go back."

He pulled out the ring from its comfortable insert and closed the box again, placing it by his knee. He clumsily moved the ring from his palm to in between his index finger and thumb, holding it out for her.

"Emma Swan, will you make me the happiest man in this realm, as well as the next, and do me the honor of being my wife?"

* * *

"I can't believe you forgot!"

"I didn't forget, I just-"

"It's our _anniversary_, Swan!"

"I remember our _wedding _anniversary! Just not the engagement!"

"Was the proposal not grand enough to your liking?" he scoffed immaturely, crossing his arms to add more effect. However hard he tried, Emma still managed to catch the (terribly) hidden smile under his pouting lips.

"I'm sorry," she said softly as she snaked her arms from behind him and hugged him. She left a trail of kisses starting from his naked shoulder blades, up to his shoulders and down the scruff of his jaw. "I'll make it up to you," she whispered in his ear, "_tonight_."

He couldn't contain his smile even if he tried. The moment she spoke those words, he immediately turned back to face he, grabbed her by the waist and pinned her on the bed.

"You better," he threatened her emptily. Kissing her hard on the mouth.

"So, I'm forgiven then?" she leaned up and pecked him on his lips.

"Love, I could never stay mad at you," he placed soft kisses on her forehead, her cheeks, the tip of her nose, and finally her lips. "Especially not with our little miracle growing inside you," he smiled proudly, filling Emma's heart up completely. He moved down her body slowly, stopping when he reached her stomach. He laid soft butterfly kisses countlessly on the still very tiny bump.

Ever since she'd told him a week ago, he couldn't stop touching the bump. Within the week, whenever anything remotely dangerous was nearby her, she'd find his hand placed on top of her belly protectively. Her life honestly couldn't have gotten any better than this. She had Henry, their little baby, her parents, and of course _him._

A year ago, when he asked what he'd done to deserve someone like her, she really could only wonder what _she _had done to deserve _him._ All she ever did was push him away, but he fought – he fought for _her._ Like no one had ever done for her before.

The sound of the bedroom door opening pulled Emma out of her thoughts, as well as made Killian jump under the covers. Henry stood by the entrance with a tray in his hands, accompanied with a grossed out look on his face.

"Just kissing her belly, I promise lad," Killian assured him, raising his hands _(hand and stump) _up in surrender.

"Yeah, yeah," Henry sighed as he walked over to the couple and placed the tray of food in front of the both of them. "I made you guys breakfast. Happy anniversary," he kissed his mom's cheek and later grinned at Killian.

"See Swan! Even our boy remembers!"

_Our _boy. Emma still couldn't get over how much Killian loved Henry, and how much her son accepted the pirate into the family so easily.

"Mom, you forgot? But then again, I _did _help plan Operation Swan, if you recall correctly," he smirked at Killian.

"I remember it very well," Killian winked.

"Okay, I don't appreciate the two of you having coded messages here!" Emma interrupted.

"It's nothing," Henry laughed it off, sitting at the foot of the bed. "It's funny – usually, it's the guys who forget all the anniversaries."

"Yeah, well he's a sap,"

"Yeah, well I'm romantic," the pair answered at the same time, causing a glare-off between the two. As per usual, he was the one to give in first, smiling and pulling her into his arms.

"You two are nauseating," Henry jokingly gagged. "Happy anniversary again," he wished the couple as he stood up.

"Thanks for the breakfast, kid," Emma smiled, earning one back from her son.

"Where you going?" Killian asked.

"I'm heading out - I'm going to go see Gr- _a friend_," he said walking backwards to the door.

"_A friend,_ I'm sure," Killian teased, and Henry simply rolled his eyes, as he walked out of the room - the small smirk growing on his lips contradicting his actions.

"He's growing up so quickly," Emma mentioned moments later as they were digging in on their breakfast. "He's going to be a great older brother."

"Of course, the lad is! Look at how he takes care of Roland and Emilia," he said fondly.

"And you're going to be a great dad – you know that right?"

"At first, I was admittedly worried. But we're going to go through this together, and we're going to raise the fiercest little pirate you'll ever see." His eyes sparkled with love. "Either a fierce pirate – or a little princess," he added.

Once she'd finished her food, he lifted the tray and placed it on the nightstand. Finding a comfortable position back on the bed, he pulled her back, laying her body on his chest while his right arm draped over her shoulder. His hand found hers and he stroked it lovingly.

"You're _already _a great dad," she turned to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"And you're going to be a magnificent mother, not that you already aren't," he kissed the top of her head. "I love you so much you know that? I'd travel the bloody seven seas for you and this little family of ours."

"I know. And I couldn't have chosen a better person to marry, because I am, and will always be, so damn in love with you."

* * *

**A/N: The end! I hope you guys enjoyed my little multi-chap, 'cause I really enjoyed writing it!**

**So, I guess this is goodbye :( **

**Shoutouts:**

**Thank you to everyone to everyone who followed, favourited or reviews my fic! I love you all!**

**Special thanks to all these people for reviewing multiple times, I really appreciated them :)**

**Starlight000, Loving-The-Originals, , Angels-heart1 & angeleyenc**

**Thank you so much for reading again! :)**


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